On July 4th, 2006, I embarked on a quest to become the pre-eminent American portrait painter of the 21st century. This blog chronicles that journey. With apologies to Joan Didion, I call it THE YEAR OF MAGICAL PAINTING.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

It's grand, really ...

... how something as cockeyed as the way "The Indictable Fuld" looks right now will, experience tells me, turn into something else entirely. I use the term "something else entirely" without prejudice. But I do know that this will, in fact, turn into something else. For good or bad.

And that's the grandeur of the thing. "Thing", in this case, meaning the painting (gerund), not the painting (noun).

Shouldn't the comma after "Thing" fall inside the closing quotation mark?Some would say yes.Most, one would suggest.Well I've completely abandoned that approach. If the thing one is quoting is to be quoted accurately, it should be quoted without punctuation other than those marks that are, in fact, part of the thing being quoted.Nicely said.Thank you.Kind of like "Eats, Shoots and Leaves."Kind of. I see you put the period inside the closing quote mark, so it's not exactly like that.But close?Yes. And just the briefest of tangents--Where do you stand on Oxford commas?I love 'em.

Back to the matter at hand, I don't have time to give you a sequence. It doesn't even exist, photographically speaking. This ain't no mud club. No CBGBs. I ain't got time for that now. Moving too quickly. But I know how you people are, so I'm giving you this:

As a gift.

I'm experimenting with painting on a table, of a sort, so I couldn't actually get the camera high enough too get to the edge of the frame. But this gives you the gist of the thing.

I love the idea of getting out on the street with it on Thursday, and I understand that my productivity tomorrow (what with it being St. Patrick's Day and in order to have a front row seat for the bagpipe band at McManus--which happens around 6 or so--I'm gonna have to get there by 2:30 or so) is gonna take a hit. So I've been working hard tonight.

What I haven't done is turn the thing upright and take a long hard look at it.

That comes tomorrow morning, at which point some fundamental structural problems will have to be addressed.

But for tonight, I'm giving you that one image. And the lyrics to Life During Wartime--Fear of Music:

Heard of a van that is loaded with weaponspacked up and ready to goHeard of some gravesites, out by the highway,a place where nobody knowsThe sound of gunfire, off in the distance,I'm getting used to it nowLived in a brownstore, lived in the ghetto,I've lived all over this town

This ain't no party, this ain't no disco,this ain't no fooling aroundNo time for dancing, or lovey dovey,I ain't got time for that now

Transmit the message, to the receiver,hope for an answer some dayI got three passports, a couple of visas,you don't even know my real nameHigh on a hillside, the trucks are loading,everything's ready to rollI sleep in the daytime, I work in the nightime,I might not ever get home

This ain't no party, this ain't no disco,this ain't no fooling aroundThis ain't no mudd club, or CBGB,I ain't got time for that now

Heard about Houston? Heard about Detroit?Heard about Pittsburgh, P. A.?You oughta know not to stand by the windowsomebody might see you up thereI got some groceries, some peant butter,to last a couple of daysBut I ain't got no speakers, ain't got noheaphones, ain't got no records to play

Why stay in college? Why go to night school?Gonna be different this timeCan't write a letter, can't send a postcard,I can't write nothing at allThis ain't no party, this ain't no disco,this ain't no fooling aroundI'd like to kiss you, I'd love you hold youI ain't got no time for that now

Trouble in transit, got through the roadblock,we blended with the crowdWe got computer, we're tapping pohne lines,I know that ain't allowedWe dress like students, we dress like housewives,or in a suit and a tieI changed my hairstyle, so many times now,I don't know what I look like!You make me shiver, I feel so tender,we make a pretty good teamDon't get exhausted, I'll do some driving,you ought to get some sleepGet you instructions, follow directions,then you should change your addressMaybe tomorrow, maybe the next day,whatever you think is bestBurned all my notebooks, what good arenotebooks? They won't help me surviveMy chest is aching, burns like a furnace,the burning keeps me aliveTry to stay healthy, physical fitness,don't want to catch no diseaseTry to be careful, don't take no chances,you better watch what you say